The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1887-04-13
CHICAGO BOODLERS.
How They Did Business-A Bottom
less Artesian Well--0ver 800
Indictments.
The Members OF the Grand Jury As
tonished ut the County Rot
tenness.

The indictments recently found against
present and former Commissioners of Cook
County number 200, and against wardens
and contractors 102. About sixty men
have been indicted. Following is partial
list County Commissioners ID. j. Wren,
20 indictments; j. j. Mccarthy, 20; G.. q.
Klehm, 10; X. s. McClaughrey, IA; X. nj.
Oliver, IL; G.. Cells, 81; G. Casselman,
s; ex- Commissioners @. +. Lynn, "a;
j. E. Van Pelt, 10; j. Hannigan,
IT; III. w. Leyden, II; Nj. Wasser-
man, 10; Adam Ochs, 8; employees
w. j. McGarigle, "a; III. A. Varnell, 70;
Z. s. Mcdonald, s; Edward Phillips, 3;
Janitor Gunderson, 8; Frank Murphy, 2;
contractors j. Costelloe, IL; +. w. Bipper,
z; n. Barsaloux, ,; William Harley, 2; w.
III. Gray, /; Chris. Keeling, l; James Muir
ray, 1; NJ. Hennessy, l; John Buckley, /;
p. Mshoney, /; J. j. Hayes, L; L. X.
Brainerd, 1; G. o. Hansen, 1; l.. L. Crane,
/ j. II. Carpenter, l; II. X. Warner, /; A.
j. Walker. l; l.. Windmueller, /.
The thing is corrupt from top to bot
tom," said one of the late grand jurors.
"There is no honesty among the Commits
sioners outside of those recently elected,
and there is no honesty among their en-
ployes and appointees. Where they cant
steal in large way they steal in small
way. An arrangement was made with
the man who sold goods. I'll give
you one instance in particular: There.
was a contract with q merchant to
sell goods and pay II per cent. He had to
pay it into the hands of particular per-
son to be divided. The chairman of the
committee through which most of his bills
went called on him and made him pay
three per cent. additional for his intiu-
ence. So the merchant paid in fifteen
per cent. regularly. About once a month
the Commissioner would drive up to his
place of business, but wouldn't come in,
and he would 60 out and hand him the
percentage in an envelope. That is the
way that was done. Most OF the
business was done through one of the
appointees who was made the collector for
the gang, and as much as $l1, 900 in one
sum has been paid at one time for one con-
tract. They required the sum paid down.
The contract had been awarded, and the
regular meeting passed without action.
What is the matter?' Well, have you got
the money! or a question of that kind.
No, we cannot get it until such day.
Then you can have it,. 'Al right He
had it the day promised, handed the
money over, special meeting was
held, and the contract was approved
at once and signed. That was one
way of doing business. Then there
was another. One year $1,000 would be
charged for certain thing, the next year
81 100, and the next S2,l00. The year the
highest commission was paid was the best
year for business the man ever had. In
another case the commissions, as rule,
were figured at 10 per cent. In one in
stance The commissions were not paid In
money; that is, the parties swore they never
paid "a dollar. But one of the gang would
want a sealskin sack. The merchants
didn't deal in them, but had connections
through which they could get one, and the
firm kept O fictitious account to which
such articles were charged, and the cost
amounted to 10 per cent, which was added
to the price of the goods sold to the coun-
ty. The transactions were not confined to
one branch of business. One house had
sold some goods to the county. They were
told, You can sell great many goods to
the county, but in order to do so you will
have to pay 10 per cent One member of
the firm, knowing one of the Commission
ers, felt it was an outrage. He went to
| that Commissioner, a prominent one, con-
| fident that the proposition would arouse his
| (the Commissoners) ire in an instant he
| told him, and the Commissioner said: Il
think you folks had better pay the COM
mission. The thing is just here. You sell
the county at your prices. charge 10 per
cent additional, and pay this commission
over, and then the county will be better
served have better goods at less prices
than it is buying or can buy them from
Others He went back and told his part
ners, and said: we won't do anything of
the kind. We will pay no commissions to
anybody. There are cur goods, and if they
want to buy them at our prices we will sell
them. but We will not pay penny commits
sion That was the strongest case that
came before the jury.
"The way in which the swindling was
done was perfectly wonderful. There were
| increased prices, short weight. short count,
and short count way up into large figures.
We didn't get at the bottom of that artesian
well. 1t is only 800 or 400 feet deep, but a
| good many hundreds more were paid for.
| That was short measure with vengeance.
A certain amount of money was to be paid
on oil contracts. 1t would be handed to a
person indicated. That person would hand
1t over, or be present at a meeting where
| the divvy was made. At one time Com
missioner made the collections, but the
others became suspicious that he didn't
divvy fairly. Men swore that they were
told they must not pay that Commissioner
any more money, but pay it to So-and-so,
and they did, and they never had trouble. "
One of the neatest of the many swim
dies exposed by the Grand Jury was the ar
tesian well at the Infirmary. BY the terms
of the contract with w. II. Gray, the price
was to be: For the first 500 feet. $3.50 per
foot; next 400 feet, 80; next 800 feet, $3.50;
next 100 feet, 81; next 100 feet, 81. 80; next
200 feet, So next 200 feet, So; next 20O
feet, 81; next 100 feet, SO. Under the con-
tract the drilling was to stop when a good
flow of water was found, and the maximum
depth of the we'll was placed at 2,450 feet.
Experts sent out by the Grand Jury TO
measure the depth of the we'll broke the
trap that had been fixed 300 feet below the
surface, and found the actual depth of the
we'll to be 1,557 feet. At that depth lib
eral flow of water was obtained and drilling
was stopped, but bills were put in the County
Board for depth of 2,450 feet, the maxi
mum depth called for by the contract.
Chairman Klehm once attempted to measure
the we'll. The weight would go down, but
in trying to get it back the line formed it.
self in long loops, and it was impossible to
do the measuring. Mr.. Klehm, though q
practical builder, did not find out the cause
Of the trouble, but concluded the we'll was
as deep "a was claimed. After consider
able trouble the experts found and broke
an arched trap, and then had no trouble
| about finding ont the actua1 dapth When